[0] LAKERS SUFFER SONIC BLOWOUT NEW-LOOK SEATTLE NOT INTIMIDATED BY L.A. SEATTLE 121, LAKERS 88.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer SEATTLE - Late again. Only this time it wasn't just a certain tempestuous tem·pes·tu·ous adj. 1. Of, relating to, or resembling a tempest: tempestuous gales. 2. Tumultuous; stormy: a tempestuous relationship. guard, but the entire Lakers team that couldn't keep time. Late on their defensive rotations. Off-tempo in their offensive sets. Way too late in their comeback attempt to have any chance at all of overcoming a newly energized Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (or simply Sonics) are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their mascot's name is Squatch. team. Three days removed from the firing of coach Paul Westphal Not to be confused with Paul Westhead. Paul Westphal (born November 30 1950 in Torrance, California) is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA. A native of California, Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a head coach. , the Sonics played with a renewed sense of purpose, and the Lakers suddenly lost theirs, suffering a 121-88 blowout at Key Arena. The 33-point loss is their worst of the season. The Sonics established a double-digit lead to open the second quarter, and the margin never dipped into single digits again. Seattle led by as many as 31 points. Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). got off to a slow start but finished with a respectable 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting and seven rebounds. Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. got off to a shaky start and only got shakier, making 6 of 16 shots for 17 points. Ron Harper
Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in was the only other Laker to score in double figures, with 12 points. Gary Payton
Down 23 points, the Lakers made a brief run to open the third quarter but quickly faded again, and their five-game winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" came to an end. Actually, it was pretty much over by halftime, when the Sonics had already established a 74-43 lead, dealing the Lakers their worst halftime deficit of the season. The scoring outburst was the most the Lakers have surrendered in any half this season. Seattle made 63 percent of its field-goal attempts in the half, and all 11 Sonics who played, scored. Gary Payton led the way with 13 points, and Vin Baker Vincent (Vin) Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971, in Lake Wales, Florida) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA, currently a free agent. He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games before his career was troubled by alcoholism. scored 13 off the bench. The Sonics dominated the half despite getting just five minutes from Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played most of his career with the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic. , who got into early foul trouble against O'Neal and was replaced by Baker. New Sonics coach Nate McMillan is now 2-0. Despite the loss, the Lakers closed out November with an 11-5 record - on pace with the 11-4 mark they posted in the opening month last season. ``It's good to be where we're at right now,'' said Rick Fox, ``considering it doesn't feel quite yet like last year's team at this point. We were a 67-win team. At this point last year, we felt really, really good about the way we were playing. And I think right now, other than (Thursday's loss), we've played well. But I think the true test is these next few games - San Antonio, Dallas, Philly.'' Coach Phil Jackson had cautioned that, with two new starters and several new players, the Lakers could start the season 5-5. They did open 3-3, but have been much more steady since then. ``Compared to 3-3, and the conversations we were having two weeks ago,it's good to know it all works it's way out,'' said Fox, ``once we filter through all the rotations and all the combinations that work best together and all that stuff. It's good to know that we still can produce some of the same results.'' Said Jackson, ``We're just trying to pick up some momentum and start to get a groove.'' Isaiah Rider, who was benched for all but 4 minutes Tuesday after showing up late, returned to a normal role in the rotation. He played 18 minutes, making 2 of 7 shots for five points. Before the game, Jackson said he wasn't looking to see anything in particular from Rider. ``I'm just coming to a game and working the game as the coach of the L.A. Lakers. I'm looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a team effort, and J.R. fits in that team (scheme).'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Kobe Bryant of the Lakers soars back to the court after a slam dunk against the SuperSonics, who dominated play Thursday night and won 121-88 at Key Arena. It was the worst loss of the season for Los Angeles. Stevan Morgan/Associated Press (2) Seattle's Gary Payton scores on a layup while the Lakers' Horace Grant (54) looks on Thursday night. Stevan Morgan/Associated Press Box: GAME RECAP |
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